Women lawyers move SC against Delhi gang-rape advocates

An association of women lawyers on Friday mentioned in the Supreme Court a petition seeking action against two advocates for making derogatory remarks on women in a BBC documentary on the December 16 gang-rape case.

A bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said it would hear the matter next week.

The Supreme Court women lawyers association in its petition sought restriction on the entry of advocate M L Sharma and A P Singh, who had made derogatory comments on women in the documentary and had also appeared for the accused in the December 16 gang-rape case, in the apex court premises.

The petition sought protection of fundamental rights, guaranteed under the Constitution, of the female advocates practicing in the apex court to work with dignity and without any gender bias.

"The present petition is necessitated due to the ignominy and the direct attack on the dignity of women, especially women lawyers practicing in the Supreme Court, who have suffered due to the statements made and publicized by two male lawyers, and specially the respondent no. 1 (Sharma), who regularly practices in the Supreme Court," it said.

The petition said the comments made by the two advocates in the BBC documentary ‘India's Daughter’ are "inhumane, scandalous, unjustifiable, biased, outrageous, ill-minded" and are a "direct affront to and in violation of the dignity of women", especially those practicing in the Supreme Court.

The petition, filed through advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, has submitted a transcript of the two lawyers' comments. It also sought court's direction to Sharma and Singh to issue a public apology in media for holding and making public views which are "absolutely derogatory to the dignity of women" and refraining from issuing such statements in future.

Image: Defence lawyer M L Sharma has made derogatory comments against women in the documentary. Photograph: TV grab/BBC